Excellent Italian restaurant. Family owned and operated. The kitchen is ready and able to prepare on and off menu items to your specification. We frequently request additional seasoning because after years operating restaurants in the area they tend to meet customer expectations for somewhat bland food. Their wine list includes very good Italian wines at reasonable prices. Currently running Monday & Thursday "Happy Hours" including special menu items and half price bottles of wine. Plenty of parking. read more

Looks really nice inside. Not too loud. Everyone seemed very nice. Our waitress was nice but wasn't very attentive. When we sat down she came to take our drink orders quickly. When it was time for food orders she took forever! And too long to give us the check. Bartender was cool and came out every now and again to explain drinks. The staff that brings out food, take plates and refill waters were great! Food was ok. I had short rib pasta it lacked flavor. I also had ceasar salad which was delicious. My husband had fried calamari it was tasty. His chicken dish was delicious and had a ton of flavor. Drinks were good and strong. Not sure I'll be back though. read more

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To be fair, this is a 4/5 because of their reputation and the expectations they've apparently made because it's highly recommended on here and in the community. It was good, even very good, but the level and price made me believe this must be the best restaurant in the region. Love the unique dishes, meat you can't get everywhere but the seasoning was lacking in all dishes. Good not great. read more

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This is probably the best restaurant in the NWI area consistently. Every time we come we have an amazing meal, impeccable service, and a fine dining experience. The venue is beautiful as well. We have never had a bad dish! This last time we shared the burrata and the gamba salad and the gnocchi. The gnocchi was to die for! I also loved the salad!! I had the halibut which was wonderful. Others had the filet, lamb chops, and chicken...all were great! They bring the bill in a cute envelope. I highly recommend this spot when you want an amazing dinner with great service. read more

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This is a very well run family owned Italian restaurant. The ambience is excellent and it is not too loud and very beautifully decorated. They have a small menu and they clearly focus all their energy on creating the best version of every item they offer . This place is highly recommended and it seems like they are from the northern part of Italy. read more

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5 years I've been wanting to come back. Service is still top notch. Dinner delicious. Everyone I spoke to said it's the best restaurant in the area Duck fois gras and cream mouse , port wine, stewed fig yuzu and lingonberry jam....... grilled chicken with morel cream Couldn't be happier read more

Good food; atmosphere good. Need to look at changing up the menu a bit. Pricey. Very good service. One of the best bartenders (mixilogists) in Northwest Indiana, name is Miholo. Not only does he know his drinks, but what a fantastic personality and quite entertaining ! One of the primary reasons we come to Gambas! read more

This was by farrrrr the besttt Italian restaurant I've ever been to. The past was perfectly al dente, the oysters were a nice size for happy hour as well. I asked the server to just surprise me with any pasta dish and she did excellent. I usually don't go to the same restaurant twice in a week as a traveler but I will be back! read more

Gamba Ristorante - Oysters - Italian Near Me - Merrillville, Indiana

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I went here for my birthday last year and the food and drinks was nice. I will definitely come back

Came here for my 30th birthday and had a party. Everything from the start of planning the party to the actual event was amazing. The appetizers, entrees, and drinks made the event absolutely amazing. We would love to plan another event here because of how well everyone was treated. Highly recommend! read more

Gamba Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Merrillville, Indiana

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I was at a private event for 25 women. Mihaljo was our server AND bartender and did an absolutely FANTASTIC job. Not many people could handle a group of 25 women but our drinks were full, our plates were empty (delicious food) and there was no wait!! Bravo Mihaljo!!!! read more

I've been here more times than I can count and it's our usual date night spot! We've taken family here as well as gifted others gift cards so they can experience this amazing establishment for themselves. The food is top tier when it comes to the NWI and Chicagoland region, the rotating menu makes this always a go-to and they have the freshest and highest quality fish. From start to finish you feel like you've been taken care of, the owner is very hands on as well as his family and every employee takes pride in their role. You'll never be disappointed here which is why it's our go-to. The perfect ambience without the hustle and bustle of a typical weekend evening in a restaurant despite it being busy it still feels very intimate and the noise level is perfect and not distracting, no yelling across the table due to loud background music or environment. I love this place and will continue going. read more

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Love the food. Service folks were great. Pricey dinner but delicious and really worthwhile. Will be back again soon. read more

I had the smashburger with fries off of their lunch menu. The food was good. The burger was a bit smaller than the bun. Their horseradish mayo is really good. read more

Gamba Ristorante - Smashburger with fries - Italian Near Me - Merrillville, Indiana

Loved everything... the decor.. the service the food... everything was 5 star. I had a seafood dish with shrimp and scallops in a lemon butter sauce. Delicious. read more

Gamba Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Merrillville, Indiana

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Everything was amazing. The food, the drinks, the service, and the atmosphere... I only wish I heard of this restaurant sooner. Will definitely be going back. read more

Gamba Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Merrillville, Indiana

Was in town for work with my husband so we located what we figured would be a nice meal close to our hotel and we were MORE THAN right! This place blew my expectations out of the water from the atmosphere, the menu, and the service! Josh was our waiter and he answered my questions figuring out what I should order (because everything looked so good!) and he gave me such helpful feedback so I could locate the best menu item for my mood! My husband and I started with the carpaccio and beet salad which were both fantastic then he had the elk for dinner and I had the short rib ravioli. Everything was perfectly done! We finished with the chocolate cake which was solid, but not as wonderful as the meal itself. Lots of decisions for dessert so you could definitely explore your preferences. I am very happy with our experience and would absolutely return if we lived closer! read more

This is a hidden gem in Merrillville. Elegant an sophisticated place delivering an authentic Italian menu. Beautiful pasta, exquisite appetizers, and incredible dessert options. The crab cakes were loaded with huge chunks of crab, crispy on the outside and perfectly tender on the inside. The calamari was cooked perfectly and the sauce had just the right bite. They have a wonderful wine list and a full bar with many top shelf options. Great place I'll come back to often. read more

Best upscale restaurant in northwest Indiana. Never had a bad meal or experience here. Owner is always there to greet you and check to make sure your experience is great. I highly recommend the elk! read more

Me and my wife loved it. It felt very inclusive, we forgot we were in northwest Indiana. Felt more like Downtown Chicago. I had a the filet mignon, it was incredible. We enjoyed the wine as well! read more

Gamba Ristorante - How the bill came lol it wasn't bad for two people. Expect to spend around $150-200 if drinking - Italian Near Me - Merrillville, Indiana

This place has NEVER failed us. Last year, at the VERY BEGINNING of what would become a pandemic, we had a date night and had to leave immediately for a family emergency. We had JUST ordered apps but we let our waiter, Josh, know what happened and he immediately jumped in to action to box up our stuff. No questions asked. We've returned twice since and all I can say is I LOVE IT HERE. Every dish ordered has been cooked to perfection. I love the dimness of the room, no matter the time of day. It's very cozy and perfect for date nights. Everything I've ordered has been wonderful. The ambience makes it really easy to just hang out, eat good food, and enjoy the company. We've never really orders the appetizers, unless one piqued our interest on the specials menu. We just order a drink and talk. I've had the agnolotti ripieni, which is ravioli filled with braised beef short ribs. So good!! The tagliata di manzo is superb!! We've ordered off the specials menu, too. But, I can't remember the dishes ‍ always good food. Always a good time. We are and will continue to be repeat diners here. read more

Gamba Ristorante - Love the play on words with the bill - Italian Near Me - Merrillville, Indiana

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Dining here will give you a terrible case of walletache. But other than that, no complaints. This is definitely the ritziest restaurant in Merrillville. The food that I had there was pretty good. You really can't beat any place in town for ambiance. It's a good spot for that one once-a-year special occasion that we all have. read more

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Being new to the area you ask locals for suggestions. . . . every freaking-body was like Gamba its the best! I did my HW looked at the reviews and so on and figured with such high regard off the internet and on, I thought that this was going to be nothing but excellent. WRONG. The place is nicely decorated however, they had a light show that evening as the ceiling lights would bounce from low to high & high to low, which was very odd. So if you have neurological issues this might be a problem. I overheard one of the tables close by say "its like back when we were teens and the psychedelic shows" It was also cold & drafty inside which is not comfortable. I personally hate to be cold while I'm eating. Our waiter Emanuel was nice but his mask was not covering his nose as it was loose the entire time. The wine by the glass menu has minimal options. I got the cab. It was regular. Anywho the Bucatini all' Amatriciana is horrid. Literally cheap tomato sauce not to mention it was very acidic in taste. The veal chop was dry. Not tender. The veggies were undercooked. OH, but the bread was good. It's sad when locals find this place to be the best. PS. when I called to make an RSVP they answered by saying "Hello" which I thought odd and then had to verify I was calling the right place... I think that was the universe telling me something and I flipping missed it! read more

Great place with unexpectedly great food and atmosphere- went for lunch- not many higher end lunch spots in the area - I'll be back!

Great service great food , very nice ambience. Was there for an evening happy hour meal. Nice menu selection.

Outstanding ownership, best food in area, excellent service, great ambiance. This place is a 10!

Up scale family friendly restaurant with an amazing menu that takes pride in their service!!! Some of my favorite dishes include Agnolotti Ripieni, Gnocchi alla Trentina, Risotto Milanese di Giuseppe Verdi and Tagliata di Manzo! Cocktails do not disappoint! read more

Gamba Ristorante - Pasta - Italian Near Me - Merrillville, Indiana

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This place is a gem! From the moment you walk in the service is amazing and the food is incredible. I had the house salad and could not believe how flavorful the dressing tasted. I could have stopped there but then I ordered the Scaloppine Di Pollo. OMG this is SO good. Simple and delicious. read more

Everything was fantastic! Met the owner and he ordered for us. The veal and the linguine with black truffle were amazing! Service was outstanding and we already planned our next visit. read more

Exceptional. An unassuming building set off a hotel-and-gas station exit in a nice part of Lake County, the interior has all the trappings of your post-millennium family-owned Italian restaurant. It's not necessarily my style but you can tell these are real Italians. The bar is capable of making all of the classics including those that are surprisingly off-menu such as the Negroni. The kitchen absolutely shines. Unique use of items uncommon to North American menus abounds. They are used exactly as they should be. I look forward to visiting again because the most challenging part was deciding which of the many options to choose. read more

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Gamba provided by far the finest dining experience we have had in Northwest Indiana. Their unique custom-built building and its chic interiors create a sophisticated yet relaxing ambiance. Our server Mihajlo was a consummate professional; his joy and pride in his work set the tone for our evening. The food was uniformly excellent and presented beautifully: The burrata with kiwi and strawberry was heavenly, the filet and pasta were perfect, and our desserts were tasty and larger than we could finish. We can't recommend Gamba enough. When you visit, make sure to inquire about their freshly ground pepper! read more

Get better at making food Like there was a fly in my food and a toenail in there so like don't do that again please and thank you read more

I am from Northwest Indiana originally and come back every year to see my family. I had no idea this restaurant was here. It is in an isolated area, which is why I never had seen it. The restaurant is decorated beautifully, and the service is excellent It has some of the finest Italian food I've had anywhere. The wine list is very good. The Barbera was excellent. The salmon appetizer was huge and easily could have provided appetizers for four people. They were only two of us. We somehow managed smile. The Gamba green salad with totally amazing. The Bolognese pasta was very good, with some sweetness and far too rich for one person to finish the Agnolotti with braised short rib beef was very tasty. We had no room for dessert. I definitely will be back. read more

Food and drinks are top notch! I had the caprese salad as a starter, it was so fresh! For dinner I had the special which was salmon with potatoes, sautéed spinach and mushrooms!! Delicious! The bartender (service) was excellent! I am snob about Old Fashioneds and he made them like he was from Kentucky, extremely impressive. I will certainly be back! I sat at the bar, it was a Monday evening so pretty quiet and relaxing. Highly recommend. read more

Service is terrible and dishonest. My coat was stolen from their coatroom, immediately made the management aware of it. The owner asked me to wait a few days, then dodged my multiple attempted phone calls and messages. Do not trust these people.... read more

Love Gamba & the family who run it! Benny & his wife are top notch with food that'll blow you away We've frequented this place on lunch hour & dinner hour & for meetings. Love the food!!! read more

We went here twice for date night. The service is top notch the staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and super helpful. Food was fantastic each time, would highly recommended trying their specials if you get the chance. Short rib ravioli and the grilled veal were our favorites. Can't wait to go back. read more

While Gamba may have been voted one of OpenTable's 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America, I found it to be one of my Top 10 Wastes of Time. I made a reservation online for 8:00 p.m. on a Saturday. We weren't seated until 8:53 p.m. The restaurant was supposed to have closed at 9. At no time during this exhausting wait were we ever offered a free drink or bread or anything. We were just told to hang out by the entryway bar and wait. After 15 minutes of waiting, I approached the host again to ask how long it would be. She estimated another 20 minutes and said that the three other groups of two waiting near the bar ALSO had 8 p.m. reservations. Waiting 53 minutes for a table is kind of a huge problem. Especially when there were FOUR 8 p.m. reservations that had to wait nearly that long. * Gamba Survival Tip #1: Eat before you come. By the time you're seated, you'll finally be hungry again. When we entered the dining room, I realized why so many people had to wait to be seated. Nearly every table in the joint is a 4-top. I only saw two or three 2-tops. I rather enjoyed my glass of the pinot noir. So props to them for not screwing that up. We began with the brussels sprouts ($9) with roasted squash, maple bacon apple cider vinaigrette. I normally don't like brussels sprouts, but the squash, bacon and vinaigrette made for a nice combination. I ordered the pennette ($21) with wild boar sausage, broccoli, roasted red peppers and sun dried chilies. The sausage was surprisingly dry (previously frozen, I assume) and the rest of the plate was soggy and overcooked. There was an oil slick on the bottom of my plate. My girlfriend ordered the gnocchi that supposedly came in a gorgonzola cream sauce, but the sauce didn't taste like anything. We overheard a guy at the table next to us complaining to the waiter that his entire plate was bland. He implored her to take it back and have the chef do something to give it flavor. * Gamba Survival Tip #2: Ask your server for salt. You will need it. Everything is basically flavorless. Because our server was largely absent, she wasn't around to provide my girlfriend with another fork, since they'd taken away the one we used on the brussels sprouts. My girlfriend had to stand up, walk over to an empty table and take one from there. * Gamba Survival Tip #3: Guard your cutlery with your life. When you get the dessert menus, they have no prices. That's cute. I should mention that when I made my reservation through OpenTable, there's a place for any special instructions. I mentioned that we were there for my girlfriend's birthday. They did not offer a complimentary dessert. That's not expected, I suppose. But they didn't comp us our single glasses of wine to make up for the wait. And that's not cool. (I contrast this to our birthday dinner at Balena in Chicago, where the ENTIRE STAFF signed a birthday card for my girlfriend and it was waiting at our table for us. A table at which, I might add, we were seated on time.) If you want to be a romantic restaurant, you have to pay attention to detail. You should anticipate your guests' needs. You should do everything possible to compensate guests for things like a 53-minute wait, having to stand up and raid other tables for silverware, or beg for salt to offset giant plates of blandness. As we got up to leave, I noticed a signed picture of Karl Rove in the hall. He was buddied up with the owner. I wonder if Rove used his dark campaign arts to sway a befuddled electorate into voting Gamba as a romantic restaurant. Because there is zero evidence to support this as a fact. * Gamba Survival Tip #4: Do not eat at Gamba. read more

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I don't eat cake. Let me qualify that. I can literally picture my wife rolling her eyes at my declaration and I've typed less than thirty total words. twenty-eight, I counted so you wouldn't have to. You can, but it's definitely twenty-right. When I say, "I don't eat cake" I'm simply sharing the fact that I don't choose to eat cake. Once per year, I find myself in the presence of one of the choose your own adventure style cheesecakes from Costco. I indulge in a pre-cut slice filled with chocolate chips, then one with fruit, and then another one, but this time with a different fruit. So I eat cake, there! Personally, I wouldn't be totally averse to leading the charge on moving cheesecake out of the "cake family tree," but I'm currently fixated on quiet extinction of the onion bagel. My visit to Gamba Ristorante was meant to be a gift to my wife, but it turned out to be a gift for both of us. Gamba has been on our radar for sometime, but we live over fifteen minutes away which makes it less than convenient. That said, we decided to venture out. Now, because I feel that it bares mentioning, my lady likes cake, however, she also likes eggplant, broccoli, clams, green olives, squash, zucchini, and a litany of other eatables I can't get behind. Interestingly enough, this review is not really even about cake or my wife, it's mostly about toasted marshmallows, dark chocolate, and espresso ganache, atop chocolate shortbread crust. A tart, not a cake. So turns out, I'm still only marginally turned on by cake, at best. I called to make my reservation around 11:30 a.m, the day of. The very same day I expected to accompany my fair lady to the ristorante. This was irresponsible, I know, but if you've it's simply impossible to know what am woman might want to eat any sooner that six hours before you expect to be seated. They're living and breathing like legal precedent and cats. We really don't know what to expect. We must remain fluid. And vigilant. Always vigilant! To my amazement, the restaurant was able to accommodate myself and my lady. I was ecstatic. Our table was reserved for five and as luck and my boo would have it, we wouldn't be there until 4:59:59. Remember lady fourteen minutes early is still one minute late. The ristorante was beautiful, both inside and out. Elegant and sophisticated, the way one would assume a ristorante should be. In all honesty, this was my first ristorante expertise. Hey, I'm not a complete rube, I have been to a bistro, even a canteen once, but this is a ristorante, people, and I was impressed. The lighting was romantic, the dining room was inviting, and wait staff looked professional and sharp. A wall on the south side of the ristorante was adorned with a copious amount of pictures of celebrities and local socialites, enjoying mouthwatering desserts and their table mates, at Gamba Ristorante, throughout the years, At least that's what think. I recently transitioned to a bifocal and as a result wasn't really close enough to make out the identities of any of the beautiful faces., But I've seen enough movies to know. We were seated and promptly greeted by our waiter, "Josh." Is waiter a bad word these days? I'm not going to take a chance. We were promptly greeted by our Nourishment Concierge, Josh. She order the oysters and I opted for the salmon crostini's. Both were exceptional. For the entree she ordered the beef medallions. For me, the Agnolotti Di Costine. I just pointed at my choice on the menu, and Josh, not wanting to me to look silly in front of a woman, quickly remarked, "the ravioli," a great choice. Thankfully my schnookums was already toastee from her martini and failed to notice. Either way, this is service a basic waiter "waiter" wouldn't have preformed. I ate my entire meal and half of hers. I was astounded. Bellissimo and grazie! Salute and gustoso. I will be coming back! This is going to be a regular spot for me, a new favorite. This was special occasion for us, but it's clear that to the staff at Gamba Ristorante believed that every night is a special occasion for someone. I would remiss in leaving out my review of our dessert, after all it's the imputes for this review. People, the Pastry Chef at Gamba Ristorante is second to none. They are more than lucky to have. In the event your wife (Friday's) /girlfriend (Saturday's) has a taste an enchilada entree, you still owe it them to stop by Gamba for dessert and an espresso or a chocolatini and a cream Puff. I don't care what you do or who you are. You owe it to your mouth to taste to indulge on the insanely delicious confectionery concoctions of Gamba Ristorante's extremely talented party chef. Also, see Josh. read more

I took my aunt for her birthday. The Italian food was amazing. Definitely worth the food and the dinning experience. The service was excellent and the ambiance is great. The restaurant was not loud at all!! I'm so happy to chosen to spend my aunt's birthday at!! read more

Gamba Ristorante - Grilled Veal Tenderloin Dinner - Italian Near Me - Merrillville, Indiana

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